ROME: The long wait is over. Napoli are again champions of Italy, 33 years after Diego Maradona inspired their only two previous titles in 1987 and 1990.

Coach Luciano Spalletti’s team, with five games to play, secured the point they needed at the Dacia Arena in Udine.

Victor Osimhen has been the main architect of Napoli’s success along with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who scored the goal that landed the title.

The Nigerian pounced on the rebound of a shot from the Georgian and his top-scoring 22nd goal of the Serie A campaign delighted the 13,000 fans present in Udine and the 60,000 who followed the match in the packed Diego Armando Maradona stadium on eight giant screens.

Mid-table Udinese sprang a surprise after only 13 minutes when Lazar Samardzic set up Slovenia’s Sandi Lovric to open the scoring.

Napoli, with Tanguy Ndombélé in midfield instead of Piotr Zielinski and Eljif Elmas on the right wing of attack, dominated but found no space in the first half against an opponent with three central defenders who closed down the spaces.

In the second half everything changed following a corner. Kvaratskhelia shot from the edge of the penalty area, goalkeeper Marco Silvestri parried and Osimhen shot home.

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